Shoppers gone wild

By KEVIN LEWIS Herald Editor

Published 6:15 pm, Saturday, November 26, 2011

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Although all 20 registers at the front of the store were open, in addition to registers in other departments, checkout lines were long just after midnight Friday at Plainview's Walmart as shoppers hunted for Black Friday bargains. less

Although all 20 registers at the front of the store were open, in addition to registers in other departments, checkout lines were long just after midnight Friday at Plainview's Walmart as shoppers hunted for ... more

Shoppers gone wild

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Walmart last week advertised having more than 2 million television sets awaiting bargain-hungry Black Friday shoppers across the country.

Based on the number of TVs flying out the door at Plainview's Supercenter, it's hard to believe the company hasn't already sold all 2 million.

Almost certainly stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey, local and area residents descended on Plainview's Walmart by the hundreds around midnight Friday as shoppers got an early start on the busiest shopping day of the year.

The world's largest retailer had promotions on everything from towels to toys, but it seemed most shoppers were after electronics items, especially TVs. Shopping carts were filled with big boxes containing wide-screen television sets, and many shoppers were going home with more than one.

Lynsey Harrison and her mother, Lanette Henry, said they got to Walmart at 9:30 p.m. to stand in line for a TV, and each had one in their basket. Although they weren't sure of the regular price for the TVs, they said they paid close to $250 each.

"It is a good deal," Harrison said.

Alex Montoya and friend Elizabeth Torres liked the bargain, too, saying they paid just about half of the regular cost for two TVs.

"It's a very good price," Montoya said.

They had already been in the store for a couple of hours and showed no signs of going home anytime soon, although Montoya was scheduled to report to work - at Walmart Distribution Center - at 4 a.m.

"I'm going to bust an all-nighter," he said.

A store associate helping a customer who bought four TVs said multiple purchases like that were common.

"This is nothing," he said. "One person went home with eight (TVs.) They were going to put one in each of their three bedrooms and give away the other five as gifts."

Although all 20 registers at the front of the store were open, in addition to registers in other parts like the garden department, lines of people waiting to check out still were a dozen or more deep.

Despite having to wait, shoppers mostly appeared to be in good spirits. In fact, longtime Plainview residents John and Pat Marse - unable to sleep and curious what they could find on sale at Walmart - said they were allowed in line in front of a young couple in order to purchase three DVDs.

"We declined, but they graciously insisted," John wrote in an e-mail. "Plainview is a wonderful place to live."

Walmart offered special sales at 10 p.m. Thursday, midnight and again at 8 a.m. Friday. An employee said the store handed out tickets to customers wanting high-demand items like TVs, plus issued bathroom passes for customers waiting in line for extended periods.

"Stuff is disappearing fast," the employee said, adding that it wasn't just big-ticket items as many customers were loading up on towels, too. "Anything people can get a good deal on in this economy."

In front of the store a minor traffic jam resulted from vehicles waiting to load up their purchases. Some shoppers had to park their cars at the strip mall north of the store or along side streets since the main parking area was full.

Meanwhile, at least one family wanting to buy multiple TVs was trying to figure out the logistics of their purchases - first, how to pay for them, and then how to get them home.